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Formula 1 is set to increase the number of Sprint weekends in 2027, with the full calendar due to be announced âvery, very soonâ, according to F1 president Stefano Domenicali. Speaking to Sky Sports at Silverstone, Domenicali said the sport should be âbraveâ and that expanding Sprints again is âthe way to goâ. Sky Sports understands the 2027 Sprint total is likely to rise to nine or 10, up from six this season.
The FIA is in discussions with Red Bull and Ferrari about the safety of their âMacarenaâ revolving rear wings after Max Verstappenâs British Grand Prix crash, which followed an earlier rear-wing-related off in Austria. The Race reports the governing body is seeking a better understanding of the two designs and may decide whether extra safeguards are needed, or whether it must step in. Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies said the team would do âwhatever is necessary to be on the safe sideâ for Belgium, including a potential return to a conventional wing.
Red Bull team principal Mekies said Max Verstappen was right to be unhappy after being âlet downâ by the RB22 in high-speed corners in two consecutive races, with a rear wing issue contributing to Verstappen losing out on a podium at Silverstone after he spun off the track. Mekies said: "He's right not to be happy. It is very unpleasant for drivers to be let down by the car in the high-speed corners in two consecutive races. It is also extremely unpleasant for us as a group to send our drivers to the gravel trap, so he's right to be unhappy."
Carlos Sainz says Williams has âserious issuesâ developing its car, with its gap to the front increasing despite bringing upgrades and shedding weight. Sainz said: "Concerning and frustrating, because it starts to be a bad trend this year that we don't seem to really find a lot of lap time when the upgrades are coming. We've shed a lot of weight out of the car by now, but the gap to the front is increasing. It's clear to me now that we're having serious issues with developing this car, and we are not bringing the performance that we thought we were."
Fernando Alonso says drivers need âno talentâ to overtake in modern Formula 1, after the sprint at Silverstone featured repeated passes on the straights. Alonso said: "You saw it in the sprint, people overtaking in the middle of the straight with more battery, so there is not any driver input or driver talent needed to overtake a car in front of you. You don't need to outbrake anyone, you don't need to overtake on the outside, you don't need to take any risk, and just press one button and you overtake if you have a better power unit than the car in front."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he does not want to hear talk of championship chances and wants the team focused on Spa, after wins at the Barcelona-Catalunya and British Grands Prix either side of a difficult Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Vasseur said: "After Barcelona, I had the comment 'Ah, Ferrari is back in the championship'. I said no. The week after you told me Ferrari is nowhere. I said no. I will have exactly the same approach with everybody at home. To say: 'Guys, we had a good weekend. Now let's be focused on Spa. It's not that we are champions. We are [also] not nowhere. We are improving step by step.'"
George Russell says Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli has âdone a better jobâ so far this season and that being 25 points behind him after nine races is a fair reflection. Russell said: "However, based on my performances and based on his performances over the course of these nine races, I think probably a 25-point gap in his favour is probably correct. He has done a better job than me this year to this point, so he deserves to be ahead of me. I think anywhere from 10 to 30 points behind is probably about fair."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Lando Norrisâ fourth place in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was an âoverachievementâ, with McLaren still showing a gap of âaround half a secondâ to Ferrari and Mercedes. Stella said: "Overall, the race confirmed that our performance today was in line with qualifying. So we still exhibit a decent gap to Ferrari and Mercedes â probably around half a second. But definitely there's work to do, and I think this is in the measure of half a second. P4, I think it's an overachievement. [It was] not on our own merit, it's more because other people had trouble."
McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the team being out of sync with rivals on upgrades is the "biggest single factor" behind McLaren falling behind Ferrari and Mercedes, after a difficult weekend at Silverstone. Stella said: "I think the fact that we are out of sync with upgrades is probably the biggest single factor. We see that everyone bringing upgrades improves their lap-time potential by three tenths or something, and definitely this would not close the gap that we have to Ferrari and Mercedes, because I think it's more in the area of half a second, but definitely it will be very helpful."
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes may have to take grid penalties later in the season because of its battery situation, while praising Ferrariâs reliability and race-weekend execution in 2026. Hamilton said: "Massively impressed. You're seeing engines in general have had more issues this year than they normally would have, and I don't know what the situation is with the battery side of this for George and for Kimi, but at some point there must be a penalty, I would imagine, in the sense that we only have two battery cells or something like that. But it's going to be key for us just holding onto this, maximising the points, executing to the best of our ability, even when it's the case that we can't win."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says Lewis Hamiltonâs five-second penalty for a false start at the British Grand Prix was âa bit harshâ, because Ferrariâs sensors did not detect movement on the grid despite video footage suggesting otherwise. Vasseur said: "From the sensors we don't see the car moving on the grid but it's true that on the video you see the sticker on the tyres moving a little bit. It's not me judging if it's a false start or not. I think it's a bit harsh when the sensors are not moving."
Zak Brown has dismissed speculation that McLaren has held talks with Max Verstappen about a 2027 move from Red Bull, insisting he has had âno conversationsâ and that the team is âvery happyâ with its current line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Brown told PlanetF1.com at Silverstone: âTheyâre rumours. No conversations⌠Iâve got my two drivers, so thereâs nothing to report.â Verstappen would not be drawn on whether his management had spoken to McLaren, saying: âIâm not going to involve myself in that⌠If thereâs something new⌠you will hear it from me and not from someone else.â
Renault CEO Francois Provost says Alpineâs minority shareholder Otro Capital has brought âno added valueâ and that their partnership âwas not successfulâ, as Renault moves to pause talks over Otroâs planned sale of its 24% stake. In an interview with The Race at the British Grand Prix, Provost said there is âno urgencyâ because Renault runs the team and will keep control, adding it will only approve a new investor who shares âcommon goal, and common interestâ. Renault has a veto on ownership changes until September.
Toto Wolff says George Russell is still not fully comfortable in the Mercedes, even after finishing second at his home British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Wolff said: "The sweet part of the day today is that I'm so happy for George and all the team because, you know, he's had difficult weekends. He somehow doesn't gel with the car. And, you know, a driver sometimes needs to feel comfortable in the car, and he doesn't. And then scoring a P2 today in Silverstone, that's something that I'm really happy for him."
Max Verstappen can now activate a release clause in his Red Bull contract after his British Grand Prix crash meant he can no longer be in the top two of the championship by the summer break, a key threshold understood to be written into his deal.
Ferrari will run its SF-26 on a filming day at Madridâs new âMadringâ street circuit on Thursday, Motorsport.com reports, making it the first F1 team to test the layout ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on 11-13 September. The session, officially for promotional activity, allows up to 200km of running split between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. As well as giving Ferrari early track knowledge, the outing is expected to help organisers validate operations at the venue with an F1 car.
Fernando Alonso said he has âno answerâ for why his car shut itself off during the formation lap at Silverstone, which led to him starting the race from the pit lane. Alonso said: "I have no answer from the formation [lap], the car shut off by itself. So then I tried to restart the engine, and everything was fine from that moment."
Laurent Mekies said Red Bull has âall the options openâ on whether to run its rotating rear wing at Spa as it investigates two separate rear wing failures that led to Max Verstappen crashes on consecutive race weekends. Mekies said: "We will do whatever is necessary to be on the safe side. It's too early in the analysis to establish whether it's an issue with the concept or something else. But we are for sure going to leave no stone unturned when it comes to it. And we have all the options open."
Toto Wolff said Mercedesâ British Grand Prix result was âbittersweetâ after George Russell recovered to finish second at Silverstone while Kimi Antonelliâs bid to fight for victory was hit by a front-left wheel shield failure. Wolff said: "As for the race, it was bittersweet. There is the sweet part that George, after so many days of struggle and not gelling with the car, was able to secure P2, and on the other side, Kimi had the victory to play for. It said we were going to catch him with six laps until the end with a huge tyre offset, and that was on the menu, but then we had the problem with the wheel shield that broke."
George Russell says he is "still struggling" to understand Mercedes' car after trailing team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli for much of the Silverstone weekend. Russell said: "I'm still struggling to understand this car. If I want to fight for the championship, the performances need to be better. I need to be better."
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